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Nuss & Kloth triumph as back-to-back Beach Pro Tour champions
DOHA, Qatar, December 7, 2024.- Kristen Nuss & Taryn Kloth are the 2024
Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour champions. The American duo defended
their Doha Finals gold from last year and triumphed as champions for the
second time in a row, while collecting their overall eighth gold and 12th medal
on the Tour over the years.
The other American pair in the women’s tournament in Qatar, Terese
Cannon & Megan Kraft, also reached the final of the Finals, but settled
for silver. They are now on a streak of four consecutive medals on the
Tour, after their Gstaad Elite16 silver, Vienna Elite16 bronze and Rio
de Janeiro Elite16 silver, but their first gold as a team is still
evading them.
Top-seeded Tina Graudina & Anastasija Samoilova earned the bronze. It
was their ninth medal on the Beach Pro Tour, but first at a Finals
event.
Both sets of Saturday evening’s all-American final went back and forth
with Nuss & Kloth taking the upper hand for a 2-0
(21-19, 21-17) victory. Nuss’s four aces and Kloth’s five
kill blocks tilted the outcome their way. They finished with 16 and 17
points, respectively, while Cannon delivered a match-high 22 points.
“I don’t know if there are many words there, but we have to give a huge
credit to our fellow Americans Meg and Terese. What a tournament!” Nuss
told VBTV after the final. “We are very excited to end the season like
this. What a year it’s been! So to go out like this – I don’t think you
can ask for much better.”
“It feels pretty good,” Kloth added. “We are ready for a nice break, but
we were so happy to be here. Thank you, beach volleyball world for an
amazing year!”
In the bronze medal match, Tina & Anastasija played against fifth-seeded
Xue Chen & Xia Xinyi of China. After winning a dramatic first set in the
overtime, the Latvians were well in control of the second and celebrated
a 2-0
(24-22, 21-16) win. Tina was the best scorer of the match
with 23 points, including three blocks and two aces. Anastasija also
fired two aces to finish with 12 points. On the other of the net, Xue
matched their combined ace total, while Xia led the team with 20 points,
all in attack.
Earlier on Saturday, both American teams won their semifinals in
straight sets. Cannon & Kraft mastered a 2-0
(21-17, 21-14) sweep of their encounter with Tina &
Anastasija. Kraft fired three aces towards a 19-point match high, while
Cannon put away three kill blocks and two aces to finish with 15 points.
Then, Nuss & Kloth were even more emphatic and hammered out a 2-0
(21-13, 21-13) shutout of Xue & Xia. Kloth led the way with
21 points, including three blocks and two aces. Nuss added 13.
VW Beach Pro Tour Finals in Doha: all results |
